


Cats and boxes

by Lyerre



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Cat Cafés, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 10:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17139923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyerre/pseuds/Lyerre
Summary: Angela opens a cat café, and Fareeha is the delivery girl for the food.





	Cats and boxes

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was done for AkaOkami on the Lovebirds discord server as part of a Secret Santa. Merry Christmas!

"Okay kids, here's our home, at last!"

The "kids" were happy to be let out of their cages, so they didn't answer much. At least the whining and the meows stopped for a few minutes.

"Yes, yes, I know the car ride was long and painful, but be patient, I'll empty a box for each one of you kitties. Mommy has to make herself at home, too!"

Angela Ziegler took a minute to catch her breath. Her move in this two-storey house took hours longer than she had planned, and she was worn out. The fact that her friend Lena didn't show up didn't help, either. She wasn't weak, but carrying all those boxes on her own, not to mention the furniture, clearly took a toll on her muscles. Still, she had no time to rest, there was plenty to do, and had a plan that needed to bear fruit before her savings ran out. "Time to roll up my sleeves," her old friend would say.

And so she rolled her sleeves and started working on unpacking, cats frolicking in the chaos.

\-------------------------------

Three months later, she was starting to get accustomed to her new place. The top floor was now a cosy small appartment, lightly decorated but with more plants than rooms. Connected by a simple staircase in the back, the first floor was an old café, the kind with spinning chrome stools lined up to a false marble counter. She got it for cheap after the old tenants closed it, years ago. There wasn't a market for those kind of diners anymore, they said. Better level the place and start anew, they said. Nonesense, she thought. She had a plan, a plan that would work, even if they thought she was weird. 

Now the place was tidied up and would almost look like its old self if it wasn't for the numerous cacti basking in the sun near the front windows and the cat tree taking up an entire corner. All that was missing was the food and customers. After all, she couldn't run a café without either of them. Good thing the delivery was due sometime today. Angela was patiently waiting in the kitchen, having already cleared a way to the big refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, when the bell rang. Right on time.

"Hello, miss uh... Ziegler? I'm from Helix foods. I'm here to deliver uh... food? Yes, food."

"Yes, that's me, thank you for being on time! You can park your van in the back, that door's closer to the kitchen anyway."

"Aye aye ma'am!"

With a tip of her cap, she turned around to do as asked. "What a dorky delivery girl," Angela thought. "So energetic, like Lena." All the delivery people she had to deal with to this date were either weary from working all day, going by a slow pace and letting her do most of the work, or downright lazy, turning up late and half-heartedly handling her stuff. A knock in the back woke her up from her thoughts.

"This is the kitchen to be filled, right? Pretty standard stuff, pantry, fridge and cooler?"

"Yes, just let me grab a box and I'll-"

Her step was cut short by the tall lady, blocking her path.

"No no no, ma'am, I'm here to be the muscles, you just relax and enjoy."

"That seems highly inefficient, but after moving here on my own, I could use the rest. Is it okay if I start unpacking, though? I wouldn't want the fridge to be full of taped boxes, after all."

"And we have a deal!"

\-------------------------------

For the next few hours, they upheld their end of the deal. Angela was right, it _was_ inefficient, just one person carrying everything a working café kitchen needed. At least it made for interesting chit chat: the delivery girl was named Fareha and had just moved in town less than a month ago. She was bright and had a laugh like the hot sun on an April's afternoon. She had chosen this job because she felt it would be a piece of cake for someone of her build to carry stuff for a living. Sure enough, she was quite toned, a detail that caught Angela's eye more times than she'd like to admit. The hot midsummer air didn't help, either, and soon enough Fareeha had taken off her cap and unbuttoned what she could on her work polo.

Despite the long time it took for the job to be done, it seemed to pass in an instant, and neither of them really wanted to stop. They had had a lot of fun, after all, and their time together sparked some kind of chemistry neither could really put into words. It was Fareeha that broke the silence.

"Well, ma'am, job's done, so... I guess I'll take my leave, now."

"You can call me Angela, you know. And feel free to come by when the café's open, I'll fix you some coffee as a thank you."

"Will do, Angela!"

She turned around to get back to her van, but seemed to hesitate for a split second. It was enough for her foot to come down a bit further than she had planned, and she missed the single step, sliding and catching herself on the door of the van.

"Gosh, are you alright, Fareeha?"

"Yeah, yeah, no worries."

But as soon as she put some weight on her foot, she crumbled, letting out a breathy "Oof".

"Did you just sprain your ankle? I'm so sorry, will you be fine? I have some ice inside if you want."

"I don't want to bother you, don't worry. I'll just drive home and get some rest."

"If you say so..."

Slowly, trying not to hurt herself, Fareeha climbed inside the driver's seat and put the key in the engine, before stopping, seemingly remembering something. She sighed.

"Actually... could you drive me home? The van's a stick shift, so I need both feet."

\-------------------------------

The drive was uncomfortably silent, except for Fareeha pointing a few directions to her home. Angela was concentrating on driving the unfamiliar van, occasionally catching sideways glances Fareeha shot at her. It was her fault the delivery girl got hurt, she got awkward and tried to get her to stay, which resulted in the slip. Fareeha, on the other hand, was beating herself up about how she had to ask the cute client a ride home after a smooth job. "Can't even go down _one stair_ , Fareeha, good job Fareeha. Way to ruin the mood."

Each one blamed themselves for what happened but didn't want to make things worse by saying sorry. They just wanted this to be over with. 

At long last, Angela pulled in the driveway. 

"Thank you Angela, I'll manage the rest on my own. I already asked too much of you."

"Nonesense, it's my fault you got hurt, I'm at least seeing you to the door."

"Alright, alright, help me up there, then. And by "up there" I mean the fourth floor, where I live."

Angela groaned. She had asked to help already, so it was too late to back down. "Sure, come here."

\-------------------------------

There were boxes everywhere. Lined up on the walls. On the counters, in the bathtub. Even on one side of the bed.

"You sure take your job seriously," said Angela, trying to hide a snort.

"I've been here for less than a month, and I've worked more hours to cover the costs. Besides, it's not like I thought I'd invite someone, and I have no problem living in th- stop trying to make it look like you're not laughing!"

"I can't help it! The delivery girl, in her cute delivery girl outfit, lives in a delivery castle! It's _thematic_!"

"Cute? It's a brown polo and brown pants. Most work uniforms look like this."

"Ah, yes, but see, yours has a _cap_. It holds the look together!"

"And here I thought I was being a dork, getting hurt on the job and asking the sunny girl to help me."

"... sunny girl?"

"Ah, uh... yeah? You're kind of sunny? I think? Sorry if that's out of line."

"No, no no, it's alright. It's just been so long since I got a compliment like that, I don't know how to answer. Besides, I don't feel that sunny myself, you got hurt and I could just drive you home. It's not like I was a doctor who could heal you in a flash."

"Not even a doctor, eh? No need to be that hard on yourself, you got me home safely, and that counts for something!"

"You're probably right. I'm no guardian angel. I just did what I thought was right."

"But you have the looks of an angel," Fareeha thought to herself, feeling the slight heat of a blush forming on her cheeks. She couldn't say that, obviously. That would be too much flirting... right?

"Fareeha? Are you alright? Your face looks kind of red, you must be getting tired after all that muscling around and that injury... I'd better get going, leave you so you can get some rest."

As much as Fareeha wanted to ask her to stay and rest with her, she didn't want ot push her luck. After all, she met a precious little bundle of sweetness that was caring enough to the near-stranger she was to bring her home and try to cheer her up.

"I'll gladly take any rest I can get, you had so much food to store!"

"Oh shush, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I jest, I jest, don't worry."

"..."

"..."

"Well then..."

"Yeah."

"Good night Fareeha."

"Night!"

\-------------------------------

That night, Fareeha got much less rest that she'd like to, trying to wipe away the dorky smile plastered on her face by burrowing it in her pillow and flailing her legs, not even caring about the dull pain she already didn't feel much anymore. She couldn't help feeling embarassed about Angela having seen her disorderly house. "Maybe I should clean up a bit, in case something like that happened again..." she thought before drifting to sleep.

On the other side of town, Angela was sitting on her bed, surrounded by her cats, narrating her day and trying to make sense of her feelings. It was her way of taking decisions: throwing ideas out there for her cats to listen, answering in their stead, bouncing ideas back and forth using different voices until she knew what to do. In this particular case, no consensus was reached.

\-------------------------------

A few weeks later, the café was up and running. Not crowded, but it had a good enough mix of quiet regulars and curious passersby to stay afloat without giving Angela too much to worry about. She wouldn't say no to more customers, though. Of course, more income would be nice, and more people to pet the cats was always a nice bonus. The main reason, though, was that with more customers, her food supplies would drop, and in turn she'd have to call the food delivery company again. Hopefully, Fareeha would be the one to come, and they could talk again. She didn't ask for her number last time, and though she knew where she lived, it would be really weird to just knock on her door uninvited. She almost didn't hear the small bell's light chime as the door opened for a customer.

"Hello, welcome to Quaintrelle's Corner, what can I get you today?"

"Hey there Angela. You know there are cats loose in your café, right?"

"F-Fareeha? Hi, it's been a while, I thought you forgot about the invitation!"

"I wasn't sure if it was just a polite thing or if you meant it, and I had a huge workload. But seriously though, cats in your store. Look, there's one wailing at a customer."

"Oh, that's Cardamom, he gets dramatic when no one's petting. He'll be alright."

"... and he's welcome here? They're all clients' cats, or something?"

"No, no, they're employees! A cat café needs cats, doesn't it?"

There was a brief silence. At first, Fareeha's face showed nothing but a very puzzled expression, but gradually, her eyes opened to the fact that had eluded her.

"A cat café! Of course! You didn't mention it at all during the delivery, but of course if there are cats in a café it has to be that. It didn't dawn on me in the slightest."

"Well then, sit wherever you'd like, I'll bring you a menu and some company right away."

Fareeha chose a table randomly, not quite used to the cat café etiquette and frankly not thinking too much about it. Her thoughts were focused on the sweet "company" she'd get. It was a calm afternoon, so she could probably chat a bit with Angela despite her being on the job, get to know her more, and maybe, maybe...

"So, what will it be?"

Maybe get a bite first.

"Oh, uh... a regular coffee, one cream, aaaaand..." Fareeha frantically scanned the menu she didn't even eye yet for something that wouldn't be weird to eat at this hour. "A club sandwich, please. I believe you also said something about company?" she said, leaning a bit forward and giving her best inviting smile.

"A coffee and a club sandwich for the first timer, coming right up! As for the company, just be patient.~"

And with a wink and flourish, she was gone towards the kitchen, leaving Fareeha to her thoughts. Not for long, though. After a minute or two, Angela's voice was heard from somewhere in the backstore.

"Incoming for Fareeha!"

But the owner didn't come out. Instead, an increasingly loud galloping noise was heard, soon followed by a white fluff ball. True to Angela's words, the energetic fuzz jumped right unto Fareeha's lap, which let out a startled yelp. Other customers' heads turned to see the woman, both arms in the air but otherwise unmoving, being climbed on by a young, energetic cat.

"Angela!" she blurted out, voice higher than she'd like. "Angela Angela Angela, there's a cat climbing me, help!" Her voice was fast, showing clear signs of uneasiness, which drove Angela out of the kitchen.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry! Poinsettia, come here!"

Without further ministrations, the kitten was promptly grabbed from Fareeha and held right in front of Angela's face at eye level.

"Bad Poinsettia, bad! Don't climb on customers! It's not the first time I've told you so! I'm going to have to cut your treats, you know that? Sorry about that Fareeha, he's young and still has some trouble learning simple etiquette. Are you alright? You seem shaken."

Shaken was an understatement. She was unraveling, eyes fixed on her table and stiff shoulders arched forward. "Yeah no I'm uh... I'll be alright. I'm just b-bad with cats. They're unpredictable and jumpy and they have sharp claws and... and... It's silly, isn't it? Even though they're cute from a distance, I'm afraid of them up close."

"I should've known better than to unleash the littlest storm that is Poinsettia, it's not your fault, nor is it silly. But you do find them cute?"

"I mean... yeah, they have fur and funny faces."

"Do you mind if I bring a friend along, then? I promise he won't snap, or claw, or jump, or... move all that much."

"What, you're going to bring me a plushie to cheer me up? I'm a grown woman, Angela," she said, hints of a teasing grin forming on her face. "Besides," she thought, "I'm sure hugging you would bring me more comfort," she thought.

"Something like that, yes. Wait a bit."

Angela left with a spring in her step and the look of someone who had the idea of the century, leaving Fareeha alone to gather herself. Not for long, though. Not a minute later, she came out of the backstore with a fancy little pillow, that she placed right next to Fareeha's feet, before disappearing again.

"I'll play along," she thought. "Can't be worse than embarrassing myself in front of her like I just did. And here I thought she looked happy to see me coming into the store..."

The café owner came back again, this time holding a tray of food and drink.

"Can't forget your order, of course! And as a token of how sorry I am for Poinsettia, it's free of charge." Fareeha opened her mouth to start protesting, but Angela cut her off. "No arguing! It's the least I can do."

"Aye aye, ma'am. But what's the pillow about?"

"You'll see, you'll see. Be patient and enjoy your food in the meantime."

This time, she came back carrying a strange-looking bag, walking slowly. Cautiously, almost. As she grew closer, Fareeha realized that it was no bag, it was a cat. A very large grey cat.

"Are you sure about that? I can see it's another cat. It's going to climb up on me too, I can feel it. It'll climb on me and eat my food and-"

"Trust me, he won't do any of those things. He won't even do a thing." She crouched over the small cushion and carefully dropped the cat on it. It almost looked like a lump of dryer fuzz, especially as it didn't even help itself out of Angela's arms, almost flowing like pudding.

"I hereby introduce you to Colonel Fluffypaws, oldest cat of this café. He's almost fifteen, so his energy level is on par with that of a mop. He'll purr from time to time, though."

As if responding to his name, one of Colonel Fluffypaws' ears twitched dimly.

"See? That's about what you can expect from him. Is that okay with you?"

Fareeha was perplex but amused. That was a cat? Really?

"Yeah, I can work with that, I think."

\-------------------------------

Aside from a few clients here and there, the rest of the day went by very slowly at the cat café. Not that anyone minded, though. The regulars continued to enjoy the peace and quiet, the random students worked at their computers, sipping on some coffee, and Angela and Fareeha had all the time in the world to talk. They quickly found that connection again, the same easy-going, honest understanding that they had felt during the kitchen filling day. 

One by one, the clients left. With each departure, the girls were reminded that their time together like this was only temporary. Soon enough, they were alone. A silence fell between them, but it wasn't one of awkwardness. It was one of serenity. Through the day, their hands got closer, up to the point where Angela's hand over Fareeha's was a natural and welcome feeling. Reluctantly, Angela broke the silence.

"As much as I'd like to continue this... I have to close the store."

"Yeah... alright, I'll go."

"You know..." She squeezed Fareeha's hand a bit. "I really enjoyed your company today. If you don't mind, you could always visit some more, the café's open every day. Besides..." With a small gesture, she pointed to Fareeha's feet. Colonnel Fluffypaws had moved a bit during the day, and his head was now nested on her foot. "I think he likes you. And he's a very good judge of character!"

"Haha, I wonder who likes me more here!" Fareeha flushed instantly, soon followed by Angela. She was so relaxed that she blurted that out without really thinking about it. Her stiffening even woke up the cat, who meowed softly in discomfort. "I'm sorry Mister Cat, I didn't mean to startle you."

As Fareeha got up to gather her stuff, Angela murmured under her breath "Yes, I also wonder..." She took care of the plates and cups before following Fareeha to hold the door for her. "Well... come again!"

Fareeha walked a few steps, turned around, and smiled at Angela. Her smile was radiant.

"Oh, I will!"

\-------------------------------

And so, she did. For nearly a year, Fareeha visited the café at least twice a week. Every time, she'd take the same thing: a club sandwich and a coffee, one cream. After a month, Angela didn't even have to ask anymore.

After two, the food was prepared and already in the heating area when Fareeha came into the café.

After three, she was accustomed to all the cats, even Poinsettia.

After four, she'd make her food herself so that Angela had less work to do.

After five, she'd help around the kitchen for other things.

After six, she quit her job to work full-time with Angela.

After seven, she confessed between two orders. Angela was so surprised she dropped her plates. The cats ate well, except Colonnel Fluffypaws, who didn't even get up.

After eight, Fareeha suggested they take in another cat. They adopted Piranha together.

After nine, their regulars started making jokes about how they lived the perfect crazy cat lady lives. They exchanged knowing looks.

After ten...

After ten months had passed, Angela started making small allusions about how Fareeha still didn't unpack her things. About how the living space upstairs was a bit big for a single person. About how the cats were lonely after the opening hours and how she couldn't give them all the love they deserved alone.

After eleven months, some of Fareeha's old workmates helped her move the boxes and furniture over the café. There were enough dad jokes about boxes and u-haul allusions for quite some time. Their decoration styles clashed, but, over time, would merge seamlessly together. From that point onward, Fareeha would take Colonnel Fluffypaws upstairs so he'd sleep on her feet, regardless of the no cats in the living quarters rule. Her main argument, that it was more like bringing a potato to bed than a cat, was less convincing than the one about how it's his fault they ended up together. Angela couldn't resist the puppy eyes she received every time, anyway.

After twelve months, they changed the sign in front of the store. Just a bit. Most people didn't even notice, even. But for those two, it made a huge difference.

 

The sign read "Quaintrelles' Corner".

**Author's Note:**

> For those who don't want to google:  
> Quaintrelle: A woman who emphasizes a life of passion expressed through personal style, leisurely pastimes, charm, and a cultivation of life's pleasures.


End file.
